South Holland

South Holland's population expanded between the last two censuses. At the same time there were changes in work life, religion and marriage.

The population passed 88,000

In the decade to 2011, the population of South Holland increased by 15%, from just over 76,500 to 88,300.

The addition of just under 12,000 people means this area's population increased faster than the rate of growth across England (up 7.9% since the 2001 census).

In 2011, South Holland was home to, on average, 0.85 people per football pitch-sized piece of land.

Population density was lower than the average across the East Midlands

Population density (usual residents per football pitch-sized piece of land) across the East Midlands, March 2011 (larger dots represent greater increase since 2001)

An older South Holland

Census 2011 data also show a change in the local population's average age.

Between the last two censuses, the median age of South Holland increased by one year, from 44 to 45 years.

This rural area had the third-highest average age in the East Midlands and remained older than the average local authority area across England (39 years of age).

The rise in age was because of an increase of just over 2,900 people between the ages of 40 and 49 years, while the population between 30 and 39 years decreased by just under 400.

About 14% of people in South Holland are aged between 40 and 49 years

Percentage of usual residents in England, East Midlands and South Holland by 10 year age band, March 2001 and March 2011

Fewer people worked long hours

South Holland saw England's second-largest fall in the proportion of people working long hours.

In 2011, just over one in seven (15%) people aged 16 to 74 (in employment the week before the Census 2011) in South Holland said they had worked over 49 hours the week before completing the census, compared with 21% in 2001. The percentage that worked less than 16 hours in a week increased from 1.5% to 2.3%.

England's largest decrease in the proportion of people working long hours occurred in Isles of Scilly (from 19% to 12%).

Because of its small size, comparisons to Isles of Scilly should be made with caution.

Long hour working in South Holland decreased by 6.3 percentage points

Percentage of usual residents aged 16 to 74 (in employment the week before the Census 2011) in South Holland, the East Midlands and England that said they had worked over 49 hours the week before completing the census, March 2001 and March 2011

Religion in South Holland

The number of people in South Holland that described themselves as Christian decreased from just over 63,000 in 2001 to about 64,000 in 2011. However, as a percentage of the total population, this represented a decrease from 83% to 72%.

The percentage decreased by less than the average across the East Midlands (from 72% to 59%) and the average across England (from 72% to 59%).

The number of people in South Holland that described themselves as having no religion increased from just under 7,500 in 2001 to just over 17,000 in 2011 (from 9.7% to 19%). The number of people who did not disclose their religious affiliation increased from about 5,400 to just under 6,400 (from 7.0% to 7.2%).

About 260 people (0.2%) said they identified with a religion other than Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Judaism, Buddhism or Sikhism, up from just under 140 in 2001 (0.3%).

The population who identified as Christian in South Holland decreased by 10 percentage points

Percentage of usual residents in England, East Midlands and South Holland by religion, March 2001 and March 2011

Relationships in South Holland

South Holland saw the East Midlands' second-largest fall in the proportion of married people.

In 2011, just over one in two (53%) people aged 16 and over in South Holland said they were married, compared with 60% in 2001. The percentage that said they were single increased from 21% to 25%.

Across the region, only Lincoln saw a greater fall in the proportion of married people (from 44% to 37%).

Every local authority area across the East Midlands saw a fall in the proportion of married people, as the regional average fell from 53% to 49%.

The proportion of married people was higher than across the East Midlands

Percentage of usual residents aged 16 and over that said they were married across local authority areas in the East Midlands and the average across England, March 2011

Rise in rate of unemployment

The percentage of South Holland residents that were unemployed increased from 2.2% to 4.0% in the 10 years leading up to 2011.

In 2011, just over one in two (53%) people aged 16 to 74 said they were employed, compared with 52% in 2001. The percentage of South Holland residents that were self-employed increased from 9.8% to 10.0%.

The proportion of unemployed people increased faster here than in any other local authority district across the East Midlands. The improvement brought health in South Holland close to the national average 4.4% in England described their health as good in 2011).

The rate of unemployment in South Holland increased by 1.7 percentage points

Percentage of usual residents aged 16 to 74 in South Holland, the East Midlands and England that said they were unemployed, March 2001 and March 2011

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